Matthew Saliba, Qormi
Gays can be as 'manly' as 'straight' people
A popular TV programme that aired last Sunday featured two teams competing against each other. This is the standard operating procedure for this programme as it gets people from opposite walks of life to compete amicably. The programme in itself is entertaining and professionally produced and presented.
Notwithstanding this, I found it somewhat offensive that last Sunday's teams were 'Stuntman' versus 'Gays'. Can anyone explain why these categories are deemed as being opposite?
Does the fact that a person is gay automatically mean that he or she is not capable of being a stuntman, that is, an adventurous person who likes an adrenaline rush?
This is the exact type of misinformation that creates the stereotype whereby people who do not know gays think a person who is gay is not capable of doing so-called 'manly' activities in life.
I happen to know a number of gay people who are much more capable of performing 'manly' activities than 'straight' people.
This depiction of 'gays' as being delicate people is a source of discrimination, and gay people who took part in the programme were nothing but self-discriminating.
I happen to know that the producers and presenter are people who not only treat gays as equals, but stand up for their rights too. So I found it somewhat appalling that they thought of these categories as opposites.
What does the Malta Gay Rights Movement have to say?
8 Comments
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Joe Zammit
Jun 26th 2010, 21:09
God does not create heterosexual or homosexual persons. God creates only persons. All these persons contract Original Sin at conception. Consequently, all of us have some evil inclination, whatever it is.
By God's grace, and not alone, all of us can deny ourselves to please God by doing his will. Notwithstanding the evil inclination, it is possible that we lead a life of grace in an intimate friendship with God.
So there are no heterosexuals nor homosexuals. There are only PERSONS.
Joe Xuereb
Jun 1st 2010, 19:47
2) This is an extract from another blog submitted recently.
because homosexuality (and heterosexuality for that matter) are not a separate nexus, one entirely divorced from the other. There is so much overlapping (popularly known as bisexuality). This is borne out by studies of physical types, a spectrum of 1 to 10. - taking into consideration musculature, distribution of body fat, overall frame, etc. - with one, e.g. the 'weakest' to 10, the most muscular, hairy, etc. Now, number 1, the 'weakling' could well be be a rampant heterosexual. Number 10 a raging Ramboesque figure of a man, a homosexual. And of course there are those in between. This is easy to configure when thinking that not all heterosexual men look like Sylvester Stallone (thank goodness for that! says I). And that's only the physical aspect. For then there's the psychological aspect of the phenomenon. Time was when certain trends marked one as 'a funny man'. Heterosexual men these days compete with the women for preening their looks. They're doing what they accused gay men of doing not so very long ago. But that's a different ball game. And it's when it becomes really fascinating.
Joe Xuereb
Jun 1st 2010, 19:44
1) Matthew Saliba, stereotypes are useful. I'll explain. In a society like Malta gay people are not very popular. So the old stereotype persists because 1) if you don't like/trust a person you need to be able to identify him/her in the crowd. This makes you feel safe, superior, smug. It is not in this superior person's best interest to smash the steretype by realising that gay people ARE MOST OFTEN NOT DIFFERENT TO ANY OTHER MAN. This unsettles the person who prefers stereotypes. Suddenly his/her world does not feel so safe any more. Good Lord! the horror! anybody around could be gay. Even cousin, brother, sister, colleague, policeman, scaffolder, daddy, parish priest. So this is why in a country like Malta stereotypes hold sway. The solution lies in the hands of gays who do not fit the steretyple. Problem is, they are afraid to come out into the open. Many have much to lose particularly if they are married with children. Or hold responsible 'macho' jobs.
cont./
Joseph Carmel Chetcuti
May 31st 2010, 10:41
Can anyone provide further info on this program? Which program was it? What channel? Who was the host? What time and what day was it on?
Joseph Sammut
May 30th 2010, 10:30
Malta Gay Rights Movement: does this title distinguish gays from Straight Men?
S.Grech
May 30th 2010, 12:48
Mr.Saliba was only commenting on the stereotypical image of the gay man being effeminate and not macho enough.
As far as a rights movement is involved Mr.Sammut you have obviously never been a gay man yourself. As long as gays are treated as second class citizens rights movements are here to stay.
And besides your comment was a clear case of tahlit tal-hass mall-karrotti.
Anthony Grech
May 30th 2010, 13:42
Indeed, try living a day in someone elses shoes and see how you like being discriminated against. I really am sorry for anyone who is not just like everyone else here in Malta, it must be terribly hard. People are people, let everyone live their lives and leave them alone.
Joseph Sammut
May 30th 2010, 19:51
@S. Grech: it was not a comment, but a simple question.